Cordale Russell becomes first player to flip to TCU from SMU
Mesquite (Texas) North Mesquite four-star wide receiver Cordale Russell has committed to TCU, becoming the first recruit to officially follow Sonny Dykes from one side of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to another.
He is the first commit in the Horned Frogs 2023 recruiting class.
Russell is the is the No. 220 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
The 2023 On300 has him as the No. 176 prospect in the country.
Russell was one of five players to decommit from SMU during an 90-minute span last Wednesday. The decommitments came as a result of increasing speculation that Dykes and star assistant Ra’Shaad Samples were leaving the Mustangs.
Those rumors proved to be true, as Dykes was officially announced as TCU’s head coach Monday with Samples joining him in Fort Worth.
The four other players to decommit were Garland (Texas) four-star wide receiver Jordan Hudson, Garland (Texas) four-star safety Chance Biddle, Richland (Texas) North Richland Hills three-star wide receiver C.J. Nelson and Grand Prairie (Texas) three-star running back Savion Red.
All four are members of the 2022 recruiting cycle. Their decommitments resulted in SMU dropping from No. 43 to No. 65 in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking.